


Just Hope for Everything to be Okay

by Flowing_River



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Flashbacks, Gen, Lots of Mac whump, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Platonic Cuddling, Some random bad guys, Sorry Jack isn't a main character until later, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-01-16 14:38:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18523582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flowing_River/pseuds/Flowing_River
Summary: “Hello Agents. I have some questions that you are going to answer.”Mac snorts. Riley wants to shake some sense into him, but she knows that speaking up will probably make everything worse.“Oh, you may laugh now but you will be begging for mercy in a while and you will tell me everything,” said the man stepping towards Mac and grabbing him roughly by his hair.Mac and Riley get captured. Can Jack rescue them or will they have to escape themselves?(Sorry I'm bad at summaries)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [just_another_outcast](https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_another_outcast/gifts).



> Hi there! I've been lurking around for a long time and I have written a few stories, but I've never posted any. This story is not the first one I wrote, but I think its my best (and favorite). I have written most of it, just trying to figure out how to end it. This chapter is just an intro and I'll try to post the next one soon. Please read and reply and tell me how I'm doing!

Mac hangs from his wrists. He feels kind of strange that he finds amusement out of this, but he has been in this same situation so many times it seems normal. 

‘It’s sad that getting ready to be tortured is normal to me,’ Mac thought. 

While this was something he was trained for, it was new to Riley Davis who was hanging from her wrists next to him. Mac knows he must take all the punches and keep all the attention on himself because Riley hasn’t taken the same interrogation resisting classes he has taken. She has only had taken the basic one from spy school. And Mac has been in this situation countless times before.

He looks over towards her. She seems kind of nervous and she is looking at him like he is crazy for looking bored. He smirks then yawns looking at the door waiting for their captors to enter. They seem like amateurs and he felt kind of embarrassed for getting caught but Jack had been taking care of the guys in the other room and he had a dozen guns pointed at him. They haven’t done anything yet, but he knows that won't last forever.


	2. Chapter 2

Riley feels nervous as she hung from wrists. It's her first time in a situation like this. She takes a deep breath and tries to remember her training. It doesn’t help. So she glances at Mac to see how he is dealing with the situation. He looks calm and… bored?

_How can Mac look so calm and bored in a situation like this? ___

__Riley must have been making a face because Mac glances over and smirks at her expression. He turns back towards the door and yawns._ _

_What kind of life do Mac and Jack live? _She wonders,__ _He acts like this sort of thing was normal for him which it probably is._

________Riley is hoping Jack had taken care of the rest of the men and was right behind them with help before something bad happens. She has never been tortured and hopes to keep it that way. After this thought, another thought goes through Riley's mind,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_Mac will probably try and take all the punches. ___

__

__That was just who he was. Ever since the junkyard incident with Murdoc, Riley knew Mac will do anything and everything in his power to keep them safe. A part of her says that she shouldn’t let Mac give himself up like this, but another, bigger part of her is relived._ _

__

__________Then the door opens, and Riley’s heartbeat shoots up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hello Agents. I have some questions that you are going to answer.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Mac snorts. Riley wants to shake some sense into him, but she knows that speaking up will probably make everything worse._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Oh, you may laugh now but you will be begging for mercy in a while and you will tell me everything,” said the man stepping towards Mac and grabbing him roughly by his hair._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“How hurt you get depends on how you behave,” the man continues. Riley fights the urge to shudder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Well I’ve been told I don’t behave well,” Mac shoots back when the man turns his attention on Riley. One of the other men in the room steps forward and punches him in the face. Mac spits blood onto the floor. The leader turns back towards Riley._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I think we will ask the girl first. She seems to have a bit more...self-preservation."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Riley braces herself for what is coming._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if you're a fan of Riley whump...I'm not. The cliffhanger is just for dramatic purposes. Thank you for reading and please leave a comment. The next chapter will be out shortly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this chapter was the first thing I wrote for this story and then I wrote the rest of the story around this. I'm always better at writing the action rather then the whole plot :)

Out of nowhere, Mac frees himself. Riley stares at him in shock because she hadn’t seen him working on the rope. Everyone turns toward Mac as he starts fighting the nearest guards. Instead of coming towards Riley, to free her after taking down the guards, Mac runs towards the door. 

_He isn’t going to leave me behind, is he? Mac would never do that. ___

__

__Riley watches in shock as Mac easily takes down guards that are Jack’s size. She knew Mac can fight but she didn’t know he is this good._ _

__

__Then guards decide to attack Mac all at once, and that’s when he messes up. Someone catches him with a punch to the gut knocking Mac down, and the guards surround him. Everyone starts punching and kicking at Mac and all Riley can do was watch in horror._ _

__

__‘Let him go,’ she wants to scream, but she doesn’t want to make it worse for Mac._ _

__

__Hearing a pop and a shout of pain, the guards back away. Mac sits up clutching his shoulder which is dislocated. Bruises are starting to form but he’s still smiling._ _

__

__“You should have tied the ropes tighter if you don’t want me to escape,” Mac says._ _

__

__The leader then checks Riley’s bonds, pulls out a zip tie and tightens it around Mac’s wrists as tight as possible. Then he pulls it even tighter. He signals to his men and they beat Mac up again, this time worse. Then again. And again._ _

__

__When they finally stop Mac is panting, and he looks like he is in a lot of pain._ _

__

__“Ready to talk?” he asked._ _

__

__“I don’t think I can say yes to a face like that,” Mac shoots back._ _

__

__Riley lets out an involuntary smirk. The man turns around and gives a swift punch to her gut. She lets out a shout of pain at the force behind the punch. The man pulls out a gag and ties it around her face. This action causes Riley to realize she probably isn’t going to get hurt yet and Mac has successfully pulled on the attention on himself._ _

__

_He knew if it looked like I wasn’t important to him, they would think I don’t have useful information. And then they wouldn’t torture me._

___ _

___Riley turns her attention back to the leader when she hears him say, “You know…I do not have a lot of tools, but water is…easily available.”_ _ _

___ _

___Riley knew that this is going to happen eventually, but she still is shocked that this is happening._ _ _

___ _

_I thought we would have escaped, or Jack would have rescued us before this happened._

___ _

___Mac on the other hand doesn’t change his expression. He still looks at the man with defiance in his eyes._ _ _

___ _

___“Interesting…it’s not your first time. You may be defiant now but just wait…you will be begging me to tell me everything you know.”_ _ _

___ _

___“Did you just use the most clichéd bad guy line twice?” Mac asks suddenly._ _ _

___ _

___One of the guards punches Mac in the ribs then drags him over to a tub of black, muddy water. He grabs Mac by his hair and forces his head into the water. Riley stares at Mac waiting for him to struggle, but he stays still._ _ _

_Does he know a technique to prevent himself from inhaling the water?_

___ _

___The guard seems to notice Mac's lack of a struggle and he kicks him in the side. Nothing happens at first but then Mac starts struggling violently._ _ _

___ _

___Riley’s heartbeat shoots up as she watches Mac continue struggling until he is barely moving. The guard pulls his head out of the water and Mac looks barely conscious. The guard barely lets Mac take a few breaths before stuffing his head back underwater. Mac doesn’t last that long this time and he is barely allowed to take another breath._ _ _

___ _

___This continues until Mac’s head is pulled out of the water and he is blue and unmoving._ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry (not really) for the cliffhanger:) The next chapter will probably be updated tomorrow. I hope you enjoy and please leave a review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you're all enjoying my story and here's the next chapter as promised!

Riley holds her breath as she prays for Mac to still be alive. One of the guards checks Mac’s pulse and immediately flips Mac over and hits him on his back. Black water gushes out of his mouth, but Mac remains unmoving.

The guard begins CPR and mouth-to-mouth. All Riley can do is pray and hope Mac is not dead.

After a few seconds, Mac chokes and coughs up more of the black water. The guards leave Mac lying on the ground as he shudders and coughs up more water. The leader kneels over next to Mac and picks up his limp head and lets it fall.

“I’ll give you a five-minute break,” he says.

Somewhere in the back of Riley’s mind, she remembers her training and realizes these guys are probably amateurs because they allowed Mac to almost drown after barely starting the torture.

The five-minutes passes quickly because another guard picks up a black, electrical baton and shoves it into Mac’s stomach. Mac throws his head back, his muscles clenching and unclenching but he doesn’t make a sound. Riley doesn’t know if it doesn’t actually hurt that much or Mac is just keeping quiet for her benefit. She has a sick feeling that it is most likely the second reason.

The guard removes the baton and immediately shoves it back against Mac's skin. Riley can smell charred skin and it reminds her of when those art thieves were electrifying Jack. The torture continues, but Mac isn’t making much noise besides the occasional grunt or groan. All Riley can do is pray for Jack to come soon.

Then the leader pulls out Mac’s Swiss Army Knife,

"This belongs to you right?” he asks as he examines the different tools in the knife.

Mac doesn’t answer and at this point Riley is ready to scream through the gag and tell the leader to stop and to leave Mac alone.

_He is such a good person and he has sacrificed so much to help people, he simply doesn’t deserve this._

The leader ignores her thoughts and pulls out the corkscrew and jabs it into Mac’s leg. Mac cries out as the corkscrew breaks through skin. The leader smiles and twists and pushes it further into Mac’s leg. Mac screams but clamps down on it quickly. His voice, raw from the all the waterboarding he endured.

When the leader finally lets go of the knife, Mac lets go of the breath he was involuntarily holding.

Then leader grabs Mac’s index finger. He looks at Mac expectantly. Mac glares at him, so the leader pulls Mac's finger sideways.

There is a loud snap as Mac lets out a scream and Riley realizes with horror that Mac’s finger has been broken.

The leader signals his men and they start punching Mac... again.

When they finally step back, Mac is unconscious. Riley knows they can’t get any information from an unconscious person, and she knows it is now her turn. She wishes that Mac hadn’t fallen unconscious, and immediately feels guilty.

_He has been taking all the pain this whole time and needs a break._

The leader steps in front of her and smiles.

“We’ll be back tomorrow,” he says.

He and his men walk out of the room, slamming the door closed and leaving Mac on the floor...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for my lack of medical knowledge. I'm pretty sure that it's not a good idea to hit someone on the back after they drown:) Please leave a review and the next chapter should be updated tomorrow!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is kind of short, the next one will be a bit longer. Please leave a comment and thank you for reading!

Riley sighs in relief. She knows she has to wake up Mac before they come back so they can find a way to escape. The men hadn’t tied Mac’s legs, thinking Mac wouldn’t be able to escape, but the corkscrew sticking out of his leg won’t stop him.

Mac surprises Riley by waking up almost immediately after the men leave. He struggles to his feet and walks to her, wincing as he limps. He manages to remove the gag with his bound hands.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“You, the guy who just got beat up and tortured, are asking me whether I am okay?” she asks incredulously.

“Eh, they’re amateurs. It’s nothing compared to the last few times,” Mac says with an awkward shrug.

“The fact that you call this nothing worries me.”

“Now would not be the time where you join up with Jack and Bozer in their Mother-Henning.”

Riley rolls her eyes at Mac. “Seriously, how are you holding up?”

“I’ll live…if we get out of here soon.”

Riley frowns at him, so Mac explains, “Look…I already said they were amateurs. They don’t know how to properly take care of a prisoner enough so that he or she doesn’t die. They already had to revive me once. Sooner or later they will kill me…accidently.”

“Or maybe on purpose because you were being annoying as hell.”

Mac smirks, “That was kind of the point.”

“Acting like Jack was the point?” Riley asks, confused.

“They choose to torture the person who is more annoying not the one that they think will break first,” Mac clarifies.

“They’re right thinking I will breaking first. You’ve endured torture before,” Riley says mostly to distract herself from the other part of Mac’s statement.

_How can someone be so selfless? If she was in Mac’s place she wasn’t sure she would have made the same decision._

Mac surprises her by what he says next, “Don’t be so sure of that. You would be surprised at how long you could probably hold off in your first enhanced interrogation. Besides…you are older and more experienced than I was on my first time.” He shudders.

“How old were you?” Riley asks dreading the answer.

“Almost 19,” Mac says looking at the locked door like it is beginning to bother him.

_19...so when Mac was in the army. I could have never guessed that something like that happened before he joined DXS. He knew that it was likely he could be tortured again, but he still joined DXS._

Before Riley can say anything out loud, Mac abruptly changes the subject. “Let’s get out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might post the next chapter tomorrow, but I'm not sure because I have the flu :( so it depends on how I feel tomorrow. Also, the army thing is an idea I have for a future story I might write if y'all want me to.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slight delay in posting. I'm feeling a bit better today and this chapter is longer then the last one. There is a small flashback in this chapter. I hope you enjoy and please leave a comment!

Riley decides to let the other subject drop because now is not the time or the place to have a heart-to-heart that Jack probably has already had with Mac. Jack…she really wishes Jack was here right now. She doesn’t want him to be tortured, but she could really use the support.

“We should contact the Phoenix,” Riley says.

“Already on it” Mac picks up a phone with his bound hands and dials a number. The phone rings for a few seconds before someone picks up,

“Dalton.”

“Jack, thank god. Get a trace on this number,” Mac says. Riley hears Jack yelling at someone, then he starts talking to them again.

“Where’s Riley? Are you in a safe location?”

“I’m right here Jack,” Riley whispers.

“And we haven’t escaped yet. We’re still kind of tied up.”

“Kind of tied up?”

“They left because they thought I was unconscious. They didn’t bother to tie my feet. Though I really wish I could get these zip ties off.” Riley looks at Mac’s wrists. They are bloody and bruised.

“You could easily get them off if you wanted to,” Jack says.

“It would be easier to pretend we were being good prisoners instead of trying to break out. If they catch us, they might move us.”

“Okay…How badly are you two hurt?”

“Riley has a few bruises and probably won’t be able to use her arms-”

“Hey! I’m fine thanks to you annoying the hell out of these guys.”

“Riley, you don’t feel it now, but you have been hanging by your wrists and you will be really sore when they cut you down,” Mac says, “And I’m in no shape to help anyone out.

Riley looks towards Mac, “How come you’re telling Jack the truth about your injuries?”

“Because Jack can’t come here thinking I can give him backup if they need it,” Mac says. Mac doubles over letting out a nasty moist cough. He moans in pain then gasps. He falls onto his knees.

Riley hears Jack shouting for Mac to respond as she does the same. The phone falls out of Mac’s hand. Then the coughing stops. Mac gets to his feet, puts the phone away and ties her gag just before passing out on the floor again.

 

Jack hears Mac coughing then the line disconnecting. He yells at the phone knowing it’s useless. Matty comes out and hands him the location.

“Wheels up in 5,” she said knowing very well there is no way to stop Jack from getting the two people who were practically his kids. He nods at her then walks off, muttering a plan under his breath.

“Get them back Jack,” Matty says quietly.

 

Riley watches as one of the armed guards shakes Mac. Mac groans but doesn’t wake up. The guard shakes him more vigorously and his eyes shoot open. He looks panicked. Mac looks around, assessing the situation and seems to calm down.

_Why does a situation like this calm him down? I could never imagine living a life like Mac and Jack have._

‘Jack please’ Riley thinks, ‘I can’t stand seeing this any longer.’

Riley’s wish comes true as the door in kicked open and a TAC team comes in with Jack in the lead. He assesses the situation and points his rifle at the leader who is holding a gun to Mac’s head. Mac is limp, only being held up by the leader. Riley watches carefully, practically holding her breath, as Jack demands the leader to put the gun down. He refuses still holding Mac up then yelping and letting go when a bullet from Jack’s riffle grazes him. Mac falls to the ground lacking the strength to hold himself up anymore. The TAC team surges forward securing the leader and his men. Jack ignores this and runs straight to Mac. He gently rolls Mac over checks for his pulse then calls for a medic. One of the TAC team members, Allen, cuts her down and pulls her gag off.

“You good?” he asks.

“Yeah” Riley runs over to Mac. He’s conscious, but he doesn’t seem to know what is going on.

“Ellis?” he asks, looking up confused.

“Oh shit. Mac wake up, you’re not there anymore!” Jack said shaking Mac a bit. This confuses Riley because Mac is awake, but she soon realizes that Mac isn’t really awake because he keeps calling out for Ellis and Jack, looking around wildly. Jack continues trying to get Mac out of the flashback and soon Mac sits up with a gasp, looking around widely. Jack engulfs him in a hug before Mac can say or do anything. Normally Mac pulls away from these kinds of things, but he this time he lets Jack hug him...or maybe he’s unconscious again. Riley looks at Mac, relived that he is finally safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might post the next chapter tomorrow, but I'm not 100% sure.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...hi again. I just wrote most of this chapter and I was to excited to wait until tomorrow to post it. So I hope you enjoy and please leave a comment!

Mac is rushed to the nearest hospital in the helicopter. The doctors there say that he is in critical condition, but he will make a full recovery.

After Riley is checked out by the doctors, they say she will be fine in a week or so. Her arms are extremely sore, but amazingly, she didn’t dislocate her shoulder. 

Jack, on the other hand, is not in good shape. He is extremely worried about Mac especially because the doctors are refusing to let Jack see Mac no matter how much he tries to convince them. He gets on his knees in front of the doctors and begs with them, but the hospital has some stupid policy about only family being able to sit with the patient. No matter how much Jack insisted that they were family and Mac didn’t have any blood family left, the doctors refused to budge. This was driving Jack crazy. 

“Jack…Mac is fine now thanks to you. He’s in good care.” Riley says as she tries to calm Jack down.

“I know, but I just need to see him. I won’t know how he is until then. He was having flashbacks and I promised him I would be there when he wakes up.” Jack replies.

_Jack never breaks his promises, that’s why he’s so upset._

“I’m sorry Riley, I never asked but are you okay?” Jack said suddenly with a sigh.

“Me? Of course…they didn’t even touch me thanks to Mac.”

Jack mutters something about a self-sacrificing genius and Riley has to crack a smile.

“You still had to watch Mac being hurt…and I know how much he’s like a brother to you. I know how it must have felt, watching him be hurt and being helpless to stop it.”

Riley looks towards the ugly, white tile on the floor.

“You’ve been in the same situation before?”

“There’s a reason we don’t talk about Cairo,” Jack said with a sad smile.

“What happened?”

“Long story short…we were sent by the CIA to extract an undercover agent who was in trouble…Agent Ellis. 

“Isn’t he-”

“The one Mac mentioned earlier, yeah. That part of the mission was easy, but he was a traitor, so he gave us some false information and led us into a trap. Mac bluffed our way out of the situation and ended up with a bullet through his knee. Ellis reveled himself to me in is hideout and told me that his men had faked my death and Ellis had convinced Mac I was dead.”

Riley gasps and covers her mouth.

“Then he started torturing Mac and using drugs to make him see…terrible things.”

Riley was almost afraid to ask, “What-”

“He never told me, but I watched him after he was drugged…he wouldn’t stop screaming and crying. I was ready to tell Ellis everything he wanted to know.”

Jack’s voice grows louder and louder as he tells the story. He is talking desperately like he needs to release some of the guilt and pressure from keeping the story to himself. 

So Riley lets him keep talking, “Did you tell him?” she asks.

Jack shakes his head, “I didn’t know the answers to his questions,” he says in almost a whisper. 

“Oh Jack…”

“And that’s all Mac said when he was in the hospital afterward, he just kept repeating ‘I don’t know’ over and over again. And all the drugs had confused him. Seeing me alive made him think he was still there…it was the worst part of my life.”

Riley is silent after hearing the full story. “How do you guys do it? How do you function normally after something like that happens?”

“We don’t really. We just learn to live with it.”

Riley knows Jack is a good listener, so she tells him what is on her mind, “I feel so guilty because I was relived when Mac turned the attention on himself. I didn’t want him to be hurt, but I didn’t want to be hurt either.”

“That’s okay Riley, not one _wants_ to be hurt.”

“But if you were in my place you wouldn’t have hesitated to turn the attention on yourself.”

“This isn’t about me. I _wasn’t_ there. My job is to protect Mac and Mac’s is to protect you when I’m not there. Can you imagine what would happened if you got hurt on his watch…how guilty he would feel? I know he feels guilty about you having to watch and he had no control over that. He cares about you and seeing you getting hurt would have hurt him more then actually getting hurt. He made his own decision and I know he will tell you the same thing I just told you. There is no reason to not feel relived because you aren’t going to get tortured. You can ask me, Mac or anyone else in the same situation. We will all tell you the same thing.”

Jack smiles at Riley then pulls her into a hug.

Riley relaxes into Jacks embrace. “Thanks, Jack,”

“Anytime kiddo, he says with a ruffle of Riley’s hair. Don’t worry…everything will be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry...Mac will be back in the next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I disappeared for a while. I didn't feel like writing while I was sick and now I'm better I will be posting more regularly, but it might be more slowly because I don't have the rest of the story written out. Please read and leave a comment!

An alarm goes off for one of the rooms causing the nurse to yell at a doctor, “Patient 505 has elevated heart rate.” Jack and Riley exchange a glance. 

“Isn’t that-”

“Mac” Jack cuts off. The nurse and the doctor run toward the room. Jack snags the sleeve of another nurse, “Is he going to be okay?” The nurse looks at Jack with fear. He is unknowingly giving her the scary Delta Stare.

“Your friend is fine, it seems he was having a panic attack.” This doesn’t seem to calm Jack down at all.

“What? I need to be there with him.” Another doctor walks up to Jack and Riley, “Do you two know a Jack?”

“I’m Jack.”'

“He kept calling out for you to help him.”

“Please doc…let me see him.”

“Fine, he is in room 524.”

“Thank you, doc.”

 

When Jack walks into the room, Mac is still, lying on the hospital bed. His eyes are open, looking towards the ceiling with a blank expression. Jack can see the tension in Mac’s body as he’s lying there, all alone. He can feel his heart breaking at the site of Mac’s pale face contrasting with the dark bruises that he knows must be covering Mac’s torso. An oxygen mask covers Mac’s face. Jack knows Mac hates the mask especially since El Noche, even if he won’t admit it. The blanket is pulled up to Mac’s neck covering up the rest of his injuries…the broken finger…dislocated shoulder…the stab wound from Mac’s own knife. The knife Mac loves…the one Jack gave him.

_How will he look at the knife again, let alone use it?_

Jack slowly walks up to Mac, making no sudden movements so he doesn’t startle him.

“Mac”

Mac flinches then looks towards Jack. Relief floods Mac’s eyes.

“You came. I knew you were coming,” he says.

“Of course, you know I would never leave you or Riley behind.”

“I know. I know because Riley was there you would find us. She’s you daughter after all.”

Jack feels a wave of anger run through him.

_He still believes that he is worthless. After everything that we tell him or promise him…he still thinks we would leave him behind at our convenience. If I ever meet his father…killing him would be mercy for what I plan on doing._

“Of course. But if Riley wasn’t there, I still would have done everything possible to find you, no matter what the cost. You mean the world to me Mac, you’re my son,” Jack says pouring all his compassion into his words.

Jack sees Mac’s eyes fill with tears,

“You…really mean that?” Mac asks hesitantly.

“Of course Mac, there’s no question about it.”

A few tears fall from Mac’s eyes, so Jack leans down and gently gives Mac a hug. Mac hugs back, awkwardly with one arm and starts sobbing. Jack knows this is Mac releasing the pain from being humiliated and tortured, so he doesn’t say anything, just lets Mac cry. Jack’s back hurts but he doesn’t move, he knows Mac needs him. 

Mac’s sobs slowly die down and he moves his hand to rub at his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that, please don’t hate me.”

“Oh Mac…I could never hate you. No matter what you did to me. You have every right to be emotional right now, there is no reason for you to apologize.”

“But I have been tortured several times before…I shouldn’t be this weak.”

“Mac…you’re not weak. Torture is torture, no matter how many times it happens. It’s not something you get use to.”

“But-”

“Now you may be the smart one but take my word for it and get some sleep, you really need it.”

“Jack…”

“Yeah kid?”

“Could you stay please?”

Jack knew with Mac’s overactive brain would provide him with nightmare after nightmare throughout the night and he knew what Mac was really asking.

“Okay, make a little room for me. I’m not going anywhere.”

Jack didn’t know what the doctors would say, but all he cared about was giving comfort to his kid. He carefully laid down next to Mac and h Mac immediately snuggled into Jack like Jack was going to disappear if Mac didn’t hold on to him. 

“I’m not going anywhere kid…get some rest.”

Mac’s eyes fluttered closed immediately and Jack felt himself falling asleep. So he closed his eyes and let himself go into a deep sleep, knowing Mac and Riley were now safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any mistakes because I haven't thoroughly edited this.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. Sorry it's a bit rough, I just wrote it. Please enjoy and leave a comment!

Jack wakes up suddenly. It takes him a few seconds to realize that he’s in the hospital, lying next to Mac on the bed. Then he hears Mac cry out and realizes that was what woke him up. Mac is gasping for air and almost vibrating with tension.

“Mac, wake up! You’re alright…you’re safe now…nothing’s going to happen to you…” Jack says in a soothing voice. He hopes that his voice is enough to wake up Mac but, of course, it’s not that easy.

Mac continues gasping and cry out, “No…no, please don’t! Stop, please! Don’t hurt me…please don’t hurt me…”

The machines attached to Mac are beeping loudly. The nurse and doctor run into the room.

“Wait,” Jack says when they come close to Mac, “Let me calm him, he’s confused, he doesn’t know where he is.”

The nurse looks at the doctor and he nods. Jack turns his attention back to Mac and realizes his words have changed,

“No…don’t hurt her…I’ll do anything, please!”

Jack knows where Mac’s mind has taken him, so he gently places a hand on Mac’s shoulder,

“Mac…wake up.”

Mac shouts as he sits up then immediately slumps back down in pain. He continues breathing heavily as he looks around wildly. Then, when his eyes fall on Jack, all the tension leaves his body and he falls forward into Jack’s arms. Jack can feel Mac shaking and hears him start sobbing again. Jack holds him silently again, like he had done only a few hours earlier. The difference is that this time Mac pulls back faster and rubs his eyes.

“Sorry…I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“Mac…you have no reason to apologize for having nightmares, especially after what you just went through.”

“I’m so weak, you never need someone after something happens to you…you never have nightmares this bad.”

Jack feels anger run through him again at the thought of how much James has ruined Mac’s self-confidence.

“But I do get nightmares and I always need you. I need you right now as much as you need me. And you’re not weak Mac, you’re the strongest person I know. You’ve seen so much shit in your life and you keep on working for Phoenix. A lot of people would have given up a long time ago.”

Mac sniffles so Jack leans forward to give him a gentle hug, mindful of Mac’s injuries. Mac relaxes in Jack’s embrace but doesn’t cry again. Jack holds Mac for a few seconds before pulling back and asking him,

“What were you dreaming about?”

Mac just looks down at the hospital bed.

“Mac…please, you know you’ll feel better if you talk about it. No one’s here...you can tell me,” Jack says.

Saying that just seems to remind Mac of who he was dreaming about,

“Where’s Riley?” he asks in a panic.

“It’s okay Mac, she’s outside. They wouldn’t let her in, but I can call her inside.”

Mac nods quickly so Jack sends a quick message to Riley. She comes inside in a few seconds and walks up to Mac. He grasps her hand like he doesn’t believe she’s real.

“Are you hurt?” he asks her.

“Are you kidding me?" she asks, "You’re lying in a hospital bed and you’re asking me if I’m okay? You really scared me Mac.”

Mac sighs in relief, “I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“Mac you have no reason to apologize. I know Jack has already told you this so please stop apologizing. I heard the alarms go off, what happened?” Riley asks looking towards Jack.

Jack is silent, he knows Mac hates being vulnerable in front of people, so he is surprised when Mac starts talking,

“I couldn’t breathe…everything hurt, he wouldn’t stop no matter what I tried saying to him. Then I couldn’t breath again and everything went black.”

Jack had heard the full story from Riley, so he knew Mac was thinking about when the bastard had drowned him.

“Then when I told him to stop…he turned on you. He wouldn’t stop no matter how much I screamed at him. And you wouldn’t stop screaming at me,” Mac continued. His voice had gone softer and softer as he talked, and he was avoiding making eye contact with either of them.

“What did I say to you in your dream?” Riley asks hesitantly.

“You kept screaming at me that I had failed to keep you safe and that everyone hated me because you got hurt.”

Jack lets Riley talk because he knows what needs to be said will have more effect coming from her.

“None of that is true Mac. You’re not a failure and even if I had been hurt, it wouldn’t have been your fault.” 

“You know it’s true Mac, we love you no matter what happens,” Jack adds.

Mac falls into Jack’s arms again and starts sobbing. Jack holds him close and gently rocks him. Jack knows that bad memories have come up from being tortured and Jack just hopes everything will be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't noticed already, I really hate James. I wouldn't mind Jack having a "talk" with him soon:)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is finally coming to an end. There will probably be one or two more chapters. Afterwards I will start writing my army story and posting that one. Please read and comment!

Mac fell asleep in Jack’s arms. Jack notices this when Mac had fully relaxed and his breathing had deepened. Jack gently lay Mac down on the bed and lies down next to him when Mac protests at the loss of contact. Mac snuggles into Jack again, like he knows that even while sleeping, Jack will keep him safe. 

“He’s not okay, is he?” Riley asks.

“No he’s not. But he will be.” _Hopefully he can get past this too._

“I never thought he would be this affected. He acted like everything was okay.”

“That’s his coping mechanism while he’s being tortured. No one is unaffected by torture no matter how trained they are.” _He didn’t want to scare you. He knew you would feel guilty and he felt like a failure for getting captured in the first place._

“Why does he blame himself so much? Why is it acceptable for him to get hurt, but not anyone else?”

“That’s just how he is.” _Damn you James. How could you ever do this to a sweet kid like Mac._

“I wish he would just realize how important he is.”

“Me to kid,” Jack says with a sigh, “Now go get some sleep. You’ve had a long day and you need rest.”

“But-”

“Mac isn’t going anywhere, and neither am I,” Jack says, cutting Riley off.

Riley nods reluctantly and walks out of the room.

Jack can’t sleep, he knows Mac still needs him. He starts slowly running his hand through Mac’s hair, hoping that it would be enough to keep the nightmares away from Mac.

It isn’t.

Mac starts murmuring under his breath. He seems to be saying the same thing over and over again, but Jack can’t figure out what he’s saying.

“Mac…Mac wake up.”

The murmurings get louder, “No…no stop…I don’t know… **please** , I don’t know!”

“Mac… **Mac**!”

Mac sits up with a scream.

“Mac…?”

“I don’t know, please believe me. I don’t know!”

“Mac, you aren’t in Cairo anymore. You’re in a hospital, you’re safe.”

Some of Jack’s words must have been processed in Mac’s big brain because his eyes seem to clear of the flashback and nightmare that haunted him.

“Jack…?” Mac asks in a hopeful, haunted voice.

“Yeah, it’s me kid.”

Jack gently hugs Mac and Mac hugs back with his uninjured arm, holding on tight. Jack can feel Mac shaking, but he’s not crying. 

“Mac…there’s nothing wrong with crying. No one thinks you’re weak.” 

Mac still isn’t crying, but Jack can feel tears running down his own face. Jack pulls back and looks at Mac.

“Cairo?”

Mac nods looking down. His hands are trying to find something to do but is stopped by his broken finger and shoulder.

“I didn’t know,” is all he says.

“I know kid…I know.”

Jack gently lays Mac down, mindful of his injuries.

“Everything’s going to be okay. Get some sleep, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Mac looks at Jack with so much hope and trust in his eyes that Jack’s heart hurts. 

“Don’t go,” he says.

“I’m not going anywhere Mac.”

Jack lays back down next to Mac and Mac, once again, snuggles into Jack and falls asleep.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” Jack repeats to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any mistakes, I just finished writing this chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it...the last chapter. Sorry it's pretty short, but I couldn't think of another way to end this story. Please read and leave a comment!

The bandages on Mac’s wrists are the last things to come off. He has gone through PT for his shoulder and finger. He only has a slight cough from the pneumonia. Even his ribs have healed, and his bruises had faded to shades of yellow. When the doctors takes off the bandages, all that’s left is angry, red scarring from how tight the zip ties had been around Mac’s wrists. Jack sees the sadness in Mac’s eyes when he sees his wrists.

_He’s going to cover them up. He doesn’t like showing his scars._

It’s been a long month for Mac and Jack. Mac had been having nightmares almost every night, even with Jack there with him. Thankfully, Mac is a lot better now, down to his usual number of nightmares.

_I wish he would never have nightmares, but I guess it comes with the job._

Mac is never open to strangers, that’s why therapy doesn’t work for him. He just needs someone that he trusts completely and someone who understands what he’s been through. That person is almost always Jack, but sometimes it’s Bozer or Riley.

Mac is still looking at his wrists, twisting them in different directions to see the extent of the damage.

“Don’t worry Mac, we’ll get some scar cream for them or something.”

“Nothing will completely remove them completely.”

“No one will stare at your wrists Mac.” _And if they do, I’ll glare at them until they stop. Or punch them._

Mac seems to know what thought is running through Jack’s mind and smiles. A real smile that Jack hasn’t seen since before they left for that mission that went terribly wrong. Jack smiles back at Mac,

“Come on, I’ll drop you off.”

Jack slings an arm over Mac’s shoulder as they walk out of the hospital, laughing at a story Jack is telling about an old mission. That’s when Jack knows for sure, everything will be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm going to write a small story about James getting put in his place before writing the army story. It might come up in a few days, but I'm not sure because of testing and finals:)


End file.
